Just another Average Joe's COVID report

I'm lucky in a lot of ways. Even though on CERB I'm making less than 1/3 of my usual income, I'm managing to scrape by so far. Others aren't so lucky. My heart bleeds for you, and I'm looking for ways I can help the community at large in the meantime. By the end of summer I'm fucked because my savings will be gone, but for now: The gains: I now know who my true friends are. People who reached out to me and to whom I reached out. I've deepened friendships with those I care for, and rid myself of people who require more than they give. I hope in these times that "soul-sucking" people have been given the opportunity to realize that you need to meet people at least halfway. In these times of universal suffering, no one corners the market on "woe is me" worldviews. We're literally all in this together in everything we have lost so far. I've seen so much less of the usual Pain Olympics that attention-seekers usually engage in on social media. I hope we all continue to equalize, and give all we can to others without seizing attention for ourselves. The losses: fuck, I miss dating. I miss hugs. I miss brainless flirting in bars. I miss concerts. And I am still missing sitting in restaurants and bars even though a lot of them are open. But I'm committed to forgoing my own needs and desires for others in the interim. This is far from over, and I'll continue to forgo a lot of my own previously meaningful interactions in order to keep strangers safe until we have concrete answers. Conclusion: we are so lucky to live in a country that has taken care of much of it's citizens in such financial and educational ways. I'm tucking my belt and forgoing my normalcy for *you,* nameless neighbours. I love you all!

10 Comments

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what a night

May 27, 2020 at 12:00am

first nobody gives me personal pan pizza
then they steal my moniker
ree-dik-a-rus
and I would never spell neighbor like a Canadian

4 13Rating: -9

The reality

May 27, 2020 at 3:03am

No, we're not in it together. Each to their own!

I think

May 27, 2020 at 6:49am

you're way above average, Joe. I needed to read this report with my coffee this morning. Thanks, and keep on keeping on.

11 6Rating: +5

@ The Reality

May 27, 2020 at 8:08am

You sound like a Trump supporter.

In any case, as human beings living on the same planet, we are LITERALLY “in this together” whether you like it or not.

10 8Rating: +2

automaton

May 27, 2020 at 1:47pm

commenters don't know what to do with positivity. Congratulations on confusing them.

13 8Rating: +5

@@ The Reality

May 27, 2020 at 10:20pm

He is absolutely right that we are not in this together. While the privileged few get to stay home and hide under their beds many of us have to go to work ever day and expose ourselves to a deadly disease so that their needs can be catered to. The whole idea that we are in this together is a scam to deflect from the fact that some of us are dying so that others can live a sheltered existence.

4 10Rating: -6

@@@ The Reality

May 28, 2020 at 6:54pm

People on disability are not “the privileged few.” The elderly living on pension are not “the privileged few.” People who lost heir jobs to COVID and likely won’t have one to return to when assistance runs out are not “the privileged few.” Parents forced to work from home while suddenly having to become teachers are not “the privileged few.” Eat the rich, absolutely - but the vast majority of people staying at / forced to stay home are not “privileged.” Sounds like you’re suffering from some sort of strange envy because you still GET to make a living. I wish my job still existed.

So instead of demanding PPE for everyone on the frontlines and having society’s eyes opened to supporting the idea of a new UBI and wearing masks to help protect you and cutting back on grocery shopping to once ever week or two, what is your proposal? What is the alternative? That people shouldn’t eat? People shouldn’t pay for gas so they can visit family who are quarantined? And no matter what you say, we ARE in this together, much more than in other parts of the world. Have you seen what’s happening in places like Alabama where the government and citizenship have thrown caution to the wind in favour of pure selfish individualism? Have you seen the numbers there?! You have your head in the sand and a very twisted worldview to see only the negative here, and to think we’re not “in this together,” friend.

11 3Rating: +8

Capacity

May 29, 2020 at 7:19am

You're free to miss friendships that can't be nurtured right now OP. A pandemic isn't the time to test loyalties. People naturally retract when faced with great pressures, especially ones you may not know about.

8 4Rating: +4

Another view @ @@@The Reality

May 29, 2020 at 8:26am

I didn’t read @@The Reality’s comment that way.

The original post begins with the statement, “Even though on CERB I'm making less than 1/3 of my usual income, I'm managing to scrape by so far.”

For those of us that don’t make anywhere near 3 times the CERB allowance, or drastically less than the CERB allowance in ordinary times (such as people with disabilities), or who need to carry on as normal in low-wage jobs where they are non-consensually labelled “essential” and not paid as such, it is insulting to hear some dude waxing about “scraping by” for the sake of the greater good when many others are, and have been, doing the same within much tighter constraints.

3 5Rating: -2

@Another view

May 29, 2020 at 8:41pm

Hi there! I'm the OP, and my usual wages support my parents who are on disability, my brother's family who is riding the poverty line, as well as the immodest debt my ex incurred during my abusive marriage.

I could say that it's rather insulting of you to pass judgment on what a stranger deems to be "scraping by" for themselves without knowing anything about their situation. My loved ones are suffering because I'm making less these days.

This is what I meant by getting over the usual "Pain Olympics" people seem to actively enjoy engaging in. "You think you have it bad...?! Well, *I* _____," etc. There is no "woe is me" when we're all suffering. We don't know everyone's backstory. We should take the time to when we can, but for whatever reasons, a lot of the times we don't. That's what I'm trying to say - what costs us kindness? What costs us thankfulness? What costs us to believe in the goodness of human nature? It costs a whole lot more to see all the ways we are apparently 'different', as can be seen down south right now.

I stopped comparing myself long ago to other people I thought had it better than me. They usually have their own sad stories I know nothing about. I'd rather spread kindness and love than sit in misery thinking about all the arenas in life I seem to be in want. In any case, I'm genuinely sorry you're suffering. Hope you continue to stay safe in every way possible to you, and that you find peace somehow in your situation.

9 7Rating: +2

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